The 8 best-dressed men of the week

Bar of the week: Clean Air Bar with Ketel One vodka

Every week, we scour the city to find the best bars our capital has to offer. Whether you're a cocktail kind of guy, or a man who enjoys a decent draft beer, there's a GQ-worthy drinking spot to suit every taste.

The 8 best-dressed men of the week

Bar of the week: Clean Air Bar with Ketel One vodka

Every week, we scour the city to find the best bars our capital has to offer. Whether you're a cocktail kind of guy, or a man who enjoys a decent draft beer, there's a GQ-worthy drinking spot to suit every taste.

The most extraordinary thing about Philip Roth was his stamina

Seven of the world's toughest marathons and runs

Adventure runner Tobias Mews has put in the hard yards, taking on the toughest races in the world to compile a half century of must run-events to tackle before you die (or, indeed, expire trying). For GQ he compiled his quick list of the seven most punishing runs, from one mile to 200…

It may not sound like a long way, but the Mile is the epitome of endurance and speed and one that will push your body to its very limits, as proven by the likes of Sir Roger Bannister when he first broke the 4-minute mile. It’s a question of sitting in the red zone of your aerobic limits and trying not to vomit with exhaustion when you reach the finish – which will come a lot quicker than you think. Expect to spend at least 30 minutes coughing up your lungs afterwards.

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It’s bad enough racing a 5K across muddy fields and over obstacles on a good day, let alone when you’re being chased by hordes of the undead who are trying to steal your “life lines”. In fact, it’s all rather unsettling. But zombie racing is extremely challenging and you’ll feel a real sense of achievement if you manage to reach the end as a ‘Survivor’. Just make sure you’re not too quick, as it can be handy to have other runners around you to act as Zombie bate.

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Why you need The World's Fittest Book in your life

It took ten years, travelling 100,000 miles to 100 countries, training for 10,000 hours with Olympians, world-record holders and Yamabushi warrior monks, but The World’s Fittest Book has finally arrived. Here are ten reasons why you should order a copy...

ByRoss Edgley

There’s a good reason why the Knacker Cracker is often referred to as Britain’s toughest 10K. And it’s not just the ridiculous number of times you’ll fling yourself up and down Surrey’s iconic Box Bill, including the ominous sounding ‘Eiger Steps’. Nor the fact that it’s often freezing cold and you’re in fancy dress. But more likely thanks to the fact that it takes place at 11am on New Year’s Day, you’ll be doing all of this whilst nursing an almighty hangover.

Unless you’re a club runner living in and around Dorset, there’s a good chance you won’t have heard of the Beast. But it’s a race with a fierce reputation and for the past 20 years has been punishing people who call themselves “runners”. Organised by Poole Athletic Club, the races starts under the watchful eye of the thousand year old Corfe Castle in Dorset, and from the moment the starting pistol goes off, you’re in a whole world of pain, especially when you reach the coast, where the steps of hell await. Luckily, the views are to die for. Literally.

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You’ll probably want to leave your stop watch behind for this race, which calls itself ‘le marathon le plus longue due monde’ thanks to the 20 plus “gastro” aid stations en route through the 60 vineyards. Indeed, where you might take a slug of sports drink, instead you sample some of the Medoc’s finest wines, from Chateau Lafite Rothschild to Chateau Pichon Longueville. Fancy dress is obligatory, which means that you’re not only drinking alcohol whilst running, but also breaking the cardinal rule of “never try anything new on race day”. But it’s worth it.

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After this race was first run back in 1992, it was deemed so difficult it didn’t take place for another 20 years. Hardly surprising when you consider it involves running 200 miles across the mountainous spine of Wales, whilst clocking up 10 miles of ascent (twice the height of Everest) in the process. Oh and the route isn’t marked, so if you can’t use a map and compass, you might have issues. Fortunately, your entry is vetted to ensure you have the required experience to take on this iconic race.

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Since the boom in obstacle course racing began, there have been two names that have dominated the OCR world and one of them is the Spartan Race Series. If you want to pit yourself up against the best OCR athletes in the world and test yourself, both mentally and physically, then you need to enter the Spartan Beast – the toughest of the series. I’ve done over a dozen obstacle course, but this stands out as by far the hardest. And possibly the best.

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Having tackled many of what are arguably the toughest races in the world, I had mistakenly underestimated one only 370m long and with an unimpressive 15m of ascent/descent. However, when your wife is gripping your head between her thighs whilst you clamber over hay bails with buckets of cold water being thrown over you, the definition of tough takes on a new meaning. Despite having ensured that my wife was at the minimum 50kg of weight (they really do weigh your wife beforehand), I discovered I needed the physique of a rugby player, not that of a runner, to claim victory in this extraordinary race that will have you grinning all the way to the finish.

50 Races to Run Before You Die - The Essential Guide to 50 Epic Foot-Races Across the Globe by Tobias Mews, out now in paperback (Aurum Press, £16.99)

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